Lake County veterans village offers homes exclusively for America's military heroes

Lake County, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Kathleen Mabry says joining the U.S. Army at 32 years old, was one of the most difficult things she has ever done.

It was the early 1970's and Mabry was a single mom who needed a job. So, she turned over temporary, legal custody of her children to her best friend and shipped out for grueling basic training.

"It was tough. But I was raised tough." Mabry says.

She served stateside in the Army for 6 years during the tail end of the Vietnam War. Her career ended not long after a severe injury while on duty.

Decades later, she received a thank you for her service she says she never saw coming. She is one of the newest resident in the Veterans Village. It is a small Umatilla neighborhood built by Habitat for Humanity of Lake/Sumter. All of the homeowners are veterans of U.S. military service.

The News Station's Tom Johnson takes you there.

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